11/21/2024
✨🧡 Welcome to the 26th edition of our "Ask Your Vet" series! 💙✨
This week, Dr. Sykes is here to answer an important question about heartworm prevention: "Why do you not carry ProHeart?"
Dr. Sykes provides a thorough explanation about why our clinic chooses not to carry this product:
"ProHeart is a very effective and fairly safe heartworm prevention. There are two ProHeart products: ProHeart 6 and ProHeart 12. ProHeart 6 prevents heartworms for six months, and ProHeart 12 prevents them for twelve months. However, the heartworm prevention is not where these products fall short. To understand this, we must first discuss other heartworm preventions.
Most other heartworm preventions on the market also deworm the pet. So, when you give a monthly heartworm prevention, you are also deworming the pet for intestinal parasites. Why that is important is because intestinal parasites are the #1 cause of vomiting and diarrhea we see in pets. Also, some of these intestinal worms can cause other issues, and some even suck blood through the intestinal wall, which can lead to anemia and death.
So, the question is: Does ProHeart not cover intestinal parasites? ProHeart does, in fact, prevent some intestinal parasites. However, the longest either product is labeled to prevent or treat intestinal worms is three months. That means there will be nine months out of the year that your pet will not be protected from some of the most common parasites we see that have the potential to cause severe issues. Additionally, ProHeart does not do very well against whipworms.
The next question is: Why do so many other veterinarians recommend ProHeart? There are two main reasons I see veterinarians recommending ProHeart. The first is that they think heartworms are more dangerous than intestinal parasites, and the treatment for heartworms is much more expensive. Also, clients are less likely to forget to give a dose if it’s only given every six or twelve months. So, these veterinarians believe a pet will be covered for more months of the year against a more dangerous parasite by using one of the ProHeart products.
The second reason I see veterinarians recommending ProHeart is because it is one of the best moneymakers in a veterinarian’s pharmacy. This product can be marked up well and still be a bit cheaper than other heartworm preventions based on a yearly price. Also, the veterinarian gets all the markup up front. If you only buy one month of a monthly heartworm prevention in twelve months, the veterinarian only gets one month of markup. However, if you buy ProHeart 6, the veterinarian gets six months of markup—and even more if you buy ProHeart 12. Also, ProHeart is one of the few products that clients can’t get from an online pharmacy, as it must be given by a licensed veterinarian (this is also why some vets prefer Cytopoint over Apoquel and Zenerlia). As veterinarians compete with online pharmacies, this is one way to keep profit in-house.
At Clarksville Animal Clinic, we like to give our clients more credit than that and recommend the best care. The heartworm prevention we recommend the most is Sentinel Spectrum. This is a monthly tablet that prevents heartworms and treats roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms. Sentinel Spectrum also has an ingredient that prevents flea eggs from hatching. So, if a flea gets on your pet, takes a blood meal, and releases thousands of eggs in your home, those eggs will not hatch to cause an infestation. We also feel that ProHeart, because it is given so infrequently, is at risk of having missed doses—especially the six-month product, since most clients are not regularly bringing their pet to the veterinarian every six months. Everyone is busy, and having to make an extra trip with your pet to the veterinary office can easily get forgotten or pushed back. However, if you have the prevention at home and set a reminder on the same day each month, all you have to do is get the product and give it to the pet. Our goal is to keep your pet as healthy as possible for as long as we can, and we feel ProHeart is not the best option."
Thank you for reading this edition of "Ask Your Vet!" If you have questions for Dr. Sykes, let us know! Visit our "Ask Your Vet" page, comment below, or send us a message. Your question could be featured next! 💙🐾